Sea to Sea Cycle Route

The Coast to Coast or Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) is Britain's most popular long-distance cycle route and is based on minor roads, disused railway lines, off-road tracks and specially constructed cycle paths. It crosses the Lake District and the Pennines in the north of England.

At 140 miles long, the route is designed for the whole range of cyclists, from families to cycle club riders. Off-road sections have an alternative surfaced track. Although a challenge with some hard climbs—the highest point being over 2000 feet—the C2C has an average of between 12,000 and 15,000 cyclists completing the route every year.

The route should not be confused with the Coast to Coast Walk, a long-distance footpath which takes a different route between the two coastlines.

History

The C2C was developed by Sustrans and part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) in partnership with various Local Authorities, Groundwork West Cumbria, North Pennines Tourism Partnership, Forest Enterprise and the Lake District National Park amongst others. The route was opened in 1994 running from Whitehaven on the west coast of Cumbria to the North East coast at Sunderland.

In 2005 a complementary route was opened further to the south. This, titled the Walney to Wear route (W2W), is designed to be slightly tougher and longer. It runs from Walney Island in south west Cumbria to Sunderland via the North Yorkshire Moors and Durham.

Route

The route starts in the former coal mining and industrial lands of Whitehaven, West Cumbria, travels through the stunning scenery of the northern Lake District, heading into Keswick before passing through Penrith and the Eden Valley with its lush valleys and sandstone villages. It then starts the climb up to Hartside and onto the unspoilt Northern Pennines - the roof of England. There then follows an undulating ride as the C2C meanders through old lead mining villages, such as Garrigill, Nenthead and Rookhope, and down into the Durham Dales before entering the old steel town of Consett. From here it's an easy ride through one of Britain's old industrial heartlands to the North Sea and Sunderland. There is also the option of starting at Workington and/or finishing at Tynemouth and also a link route at Penrith to join up with the Glasgow to Carlisle section of the National Cycle Route. The route is made up of approximately:

• Main Roads - mainly short sections through urban areas - 4%

• Minor Roads - quiet, country roads - 50%

• Cyclepaths/Off Road - disused railway lines etc- 46%

The C2C is best ridden from West to East to take advantage of the prevailing winds from the West and the more favourable gradients. Tradition dictates that you start the ride by dipping your back wheel in the Irish Sea and only ends when your front wheel gets a dip in the North Sea at the finish. It is typically completed in 3-5 days, though it has been completed in a single day.

The route links to other parts of the NCN so can be used as part of a longer cycle tour.

Route maps for the C2C and detailed route guides from other publishers are available from Sustrans.

External links

• The C2C Guide website - a resource centre for those new to the route
• Sustrans - the charity behind the C2C and many other cycle routes on the National Cycle Network
• WHITEHAVEN ON THE WEB
• msC2C - an attempt to cycle the C2C, to raise valuable funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre